Persons who fish using a fishing rod must frequently lay the rod down in order to use their hands for other purposes. When the fishing rod is laid down, the hook often snags on various objects, tangling the line, resulting in considerable effort and time wastage to free the hook and line. If the line is in the water (for example when the person fishing is in a boat), a fish may take the hook when the rod has been laid down, sometimes pulling the rod into the water. In general, because of the inconvenience of handling the rod when it has a hook attached, fishing can sometimes be a frustrating rather than a pleasant experience.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a fishing rod holder which will reduce or eliminate the need for a fishing rod to be laid down when its user needs to use his or her hands for other purposes.